The Tupac movie illustrates why biopics about musicians can be difficult

“All Eyez on Me,” brought in a solid $27.1 million in its opening weekend, debuting on what would have been the rapper’s 46th birthday, and it’s garnered a total $40.5 million to date.

Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

Demetrius Shipp Jr. stars as Tupac Shakur in “All Eyes On Me.”

By

TreyWilliams

Reporter

There has never been, and there likely never will be, anybody who can match Tupac Shakur’s energy when he begins rapping on a track. It can’t be duplicated.

Demetrius Shipp Jr., who portrays Tupac in Lions Gate Entertainment Corps.’s
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new biopic and is a dead ringer for the late rapper, believes that. The Hollywood newcomer told Vibe Magazine ahead of the film’s release that Tupac’s energy is unmatched. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try.

The movie, “All Eyez on Me,” brought in a solid $27.1 million in its opening weekend, debuting on what would have been the rapper’s 46th birthday. The film was expected to pull in just north of $30 million. And it’s garnered a total $40.5 million to date.

It was a rather long and tumultuous road to bring Tupac’s life to the big screen, which is not uncommon when telling the story of as prominent a figure as Tupac.

“All Eyez on Me” is a perfect example of the complexity of struggles that face filmmakers and studios when setting out to make a film about the life of a musician.

Co-produced by Morgan Creek, Program Pictures and Lions Gate’s Codeblack Films for a reported $40 million, “All Eyez on Me” has been lambasted by critics, fans and people who were close to Tupac. The film was slapped with a 24% Rotten Tomatoes score from aggregated critical reviews, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, a longtime friend of Tupac’s, made it clear on Twitter she did not support the portrait the film painted.

Forgive me... my relationship to Pac is too precious to me for the scenes in All Eyez On Me to stand as truth.

The trouble for “All Eyez on Me” started long before the production even began shooting. Before announcing the movie had been developed, the film’s producers went to court for the right to make it.

In 2009, Morgan Creek sued Amaru Entertainment, founded by Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, in a dispute over the rights to her son’s life. Afeni Shakur died in May 2016, but it’s been widely reported that she was not a fan of what became “All Eyez on Me.”

Even under the best circumstances, a Hollywood production typically has a propensity to sit on the shelf and/or undergo various life cycles before anyone gets a glimpse of it. When dealing with a biopic, however, that process can be magnified. And when dealing with the biopic of an artist it can become even more convoluted, said entertainment lawyer James Sammataro.

There are two main ways producers go about developing and producing a biopic: Either the project is authorized with the family or whomever owns the rights to their life, or it’s unauthorized.

In the case of “All Eyez on Me,” though the producers were granted the permission to Tupac’s life rights after settling with Amaru Entertainment in 2011, reports have said that the family was not on board.

Afeni Shakur didn’t get an executive producer credit on the film, despite her right to one, according to the Hollywood Reporter. And she was also reportedly upset over not being sufficiently consulted on the film’s final director, Benny Boom, who is known mainly for directing music videos.

“All Eyez on Me” went through two other directors, Antoine Fuqua and John Singleton, both of whom Afeni Shakur was in favor of. Singleton said he was jumping ship in 2015 after the project was put on hold.

The “Boyz n the Hood” and “Poetic Justice” director said in an Instagram post at the time: “The reason I’m not making this picture is because the people involved aren’t truly respectful of the legacy of Tupac Amaru Shakur.” He went on to say, “How you gonna make a movie about a man when you suing his mother to get the rights to tell his story?”

Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac Shakur in a scene from “All Eyez on Me.”

Authorized and unauthorized biopics each have their pros and cons, Sammataro said. With a biopic subject as prolific and storied as Tupac, there’s usually enough literature, public accounts and known information to pull from for a movie. That gives filmmakers creative freedom from family input that can burden the project. But an authorized film gives filmmakers an authenticity and insight they may not have otherwise gotten.

“With a feature film you usually want to have the cooperation of the family,” said music copyright lawyer and partner at Greenberg Glusker Bill Hochberg. “If you can get the cooperation of the family, you’re going to get access to all kinds of information and authenticity.”

“All Eyez on Me” producer L.T. Hutton said he was hurt by the criticism of the film, specifically from Jada Pinkett-Smith. Hutton implied his production company, Program Pictures, had some form of cooperation from Pinkett-Smith, saying they interviewed her for the film.

Other celebrities have criticized the film as well. Rapper 50 Cent said he felt like he “was watching a Lifetime TV movie in a theater. I wanted to change the channel.”

If a studio is going all-in on the biopic of a musical figure, getting their hands on the artist’s original music is paramount. Moviegoers and fans want to hear Tupac’s energy in the movie. Having the original music adds authenticity, and could help pad the pockets as well. The film’s official soundtrack has yet to be released, and little is known about the songs it will contain.

The success of “Straight Outta Compton,” arguably the most successful biopic in recent memory, vaulted the 1988 N.W.A. album after which it was titled into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 two weeks after its opening in 2015.

Former head of Warner Bros. Records Tom Whalley was placed in charge of Tupac’s estate after Afeni Shakur died last year. He now oversees the iconic rapper’s intellectual property. But music rights can be complicated. Rights for the lyrics are often under different ownership than the final produced version of the song.

For example, on “Straight Outta Compton,” former N.W.A. member Ice Cube told “The Bill Simmons Podcast” recently that even with everyone on board they had obstacles acquiring some rights.

Last year, “All Eyez on Me” had its initial release date delayed due to a dispute with producer Daz Dillinger over rights for Tupac’s song “Ambitionz Az a Ridah.” Dillinger is the sole credited producer on the track.

“All Eyez on Me” has been scrutinized for its accuracy and portrayal of the iconic figure. After parting ways with the film, Singleton said he would make his own project that would be better, but Amaru Entertainment in May said it was already getting behind an untitled Tupac documentary from director Steve McQueen.

Because of the rights granted to the producers of “All Eyez on Me,” though, that film will have to wait at least year from the release of “All Eyez on Me.”

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